Without a doubt, the most famous native son of Little Falls, Minnesota is Charles A. Lindbergh, Jr. He spent his boyhood on the Mississippi River, enjoying his summer's in a house built by his father on the west bank of the river south of town. In 1931, the Lindbergh family gave the entire 110 acres and summer house to the State of Minnesota for a State Park in recognition of the elder Charles A. Lindbergh's life and accomplishments. In 1969, the house and 17 adjacent acres were separated from the park and given to the Minnesota Historical Society to preserve and interpret the Lindbergh family history.

Interpretive Center dedicated in 1973

At the dedication of the new Lindbergh Interpretive Center in September 1973, Lindbergh spoke of his love for the place and even associated the Mississippi River with flying, his most famous endeavor. "I can even connect the Mississippi, here, with aviation. One day, before the first World War began, when I was upstairs playing in our house, I heard an unusually loud engine noise. I ran to the window and climbed out onto the roof. There was an airplane flying upriver, below the treetops on the banks. I learned that it was carrying passengers from a field near Little Falls. Of course I wanted to fly in it, but my mother said that it would be much too expensive and dangerous."